HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOB U KN EN SI S. 171 



turning over, one month more before it is carted on the land. 

 A bush-harrow is apphed, a week or two after the dressing 

 has been spread over the surface. The quahty of the soil of 

 the grass lands now spoken of, is chiefly a deep brown loam, 

 of a very open texture ; it cannot bear drought, and requires 

 to be often dressed. In the course of ten or twelve years the 

 dressing wears out, although the land has been during that 

 time constantly depastured. Where the soil is of a closer 

 texture than that now mentioned, the droppings of the stock 

 are found sufficient to keep up the fertility of the pasture. 

 For the first five or six years after dressing grass lands in 

 this part of Devon, the herbage is remarkably luxuriant and 

 succulent. The best permanent grass lands here are found 

 incumbent on freestone. 



But though the pasture be formed in the best manner, 

 with a combination of the most valuable grasses, neverthe- 

 less, a judicious mode of treatment afterwards is as essen- 

 tially necessary to continue its value. By proper stocking, 

 top-dressing, and weeding, very indifferent pastures (where 

 the soil was adapted to the growth of grass) have been 

 brought to a state equal to the most valuable ; and, on the 

 contrary, the richest natural pastures, by neglect of proper 

 stocking, top-dressing, and weeding, or the too frequent 

 repetition of hay crops, have become so unprofitable, as to 

 require many years to bring them again to their original 

 value. I have witnessed in Lincolnshire soils of a similar 

 nature in every respect, indeed a fence only separating them, 

 exhibit the effects of judicious and of bad treatment as re- 

 gards the frequent repetition of hay crops on the same field. 

 On one side of the fence, where judicious stocking had been 

 practised, the superior grasses wholly occupied the field, 

 nor could I observe an inferior plant in the herbage of it, 

 much less absolute weeds ; but on the other side of the 

 fence, where the field had been mown for a succession of 

 years, the superior grasses had given place to the cow- 

 parsnip {heracleuiii splioiidi/liurn), cow's-allheal {stachi/s palus- 

 tris), knap-weed (ceiitaurea nigra); and among these weeds 

 were thinly scattered the {liokus avenuceus) tall oat-like soft 

 grass, dactijlis g/omerala, and agrostia cu/garis. The neglect 



